


Darkest Roads

by edxwin_elric



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fullmetal Alchemist Big Bang Challenge, Street Racing, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edxwin_elric/pseuds/edxwin_elric
Summary: Street Race AUEdward, an angst-ridden teenage daredevil, has it rough. Practically living on the streets, constantly worrying about his younger brother, and always looking over his shoulder has hardened him, giving him a reputation on the streets of Central City. Though, in truth, his bark is worse than his bite—something Winry finds out when a search for a rare car part lands her in the middle of illegal street racing. One look at the innocent blonde mechanic standing alone among the loud voices, revving engines, and squealing breaks, in a haze of exhaust and cigarette smoke has Ed ready to throw himself at her feet. But his sins are piling up, and he knows better than to try to involve an adorable auto shop princess in his mess. But Winry has secrets of her own, and despite all of his efforts, she’s impossible to resist.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Edwin - Relationship, Paninya & Winry Rockbell
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35
Collections: FMA Big Bang 2020





	1. 30k Cens

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally here! FMA Big Bang!! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I'm super grateful to Val for her AMAZING art contribution to this collab! (found in Ch. 3) I hope you all enjoy it! Let me know in the comments, and please check out the other works from this event!!

**_Winry_ **

Glancing at the GPS on my phone, I stop walking and look at the street sign. I lean forward a little, my feet shifting on the sidewalk, and glance down the dark alley. A shiver runs down my spine, but I take a deep breath. I bite my lip and look at the time. Past midnight. This is a reckless idea… but I can’t go home now, not when I’ve come this far.

“Okay,” I concede softly to myself, trying to calm my nerves. “I mean, this is where it says to turn.”

I step off the main road into the shadows, pulling my jacket closer to me. I hear something scurrying to my right, and I start to walk faster. Gripping my phone tight in my pocket, I continue to follow the twists and turns it gives me until I turn left onto Cardinal Street, which actually looks almost habitable, and hear engines revving nearby.

As I get closer, the blind panic starts to dissipate, only to be replaced by a new kind of anxiety.

“Paninya, what have you gotten me into?” I mutter to myself as I turn the last corner and—

Choke.

I’m suddenly lost in a haze of cigarette smoke. Coughing, I stumble to the side, only to find a tall, angry person, who pushes me away.

“Sorry,” I sputter.

Crap. This is not going well. I move away, and wave my hands around my face. The air clears enough to give me a decent view of the stretch of crowded road in the hazy streetlights.

Yep. This is definitely the place. Sinners’ Lane. (That’s not the official name of course, but…it might as well be.)

To my right, loud bass music thumps out of various car speakers. On top of those cars are couples in various positions of…intimacy. I feel a blush spread down my neck, and I turn the other way. To my left are the angry smoking guy and some other guys who are also smoking and look just as angry, though some of them seem to be holding cigarettes while some are holding what I can only assume are joints. Past them are clusters of girls dressed…scantily. Not necessarily distastefully, though, I just don’t think I’d ever be able to pull off a look like that. I squint at them… Is that a shirt or a bra?

The loud sound of an engine revving makes me jerk. I look past the girls to the main attraction.

A street race.

Two rumbling sports cars inch forward until they’re waved at to stop at the makeshift starting line. I see the two drivers throwing up rude hand gestures to each other, and one says something that makes the other one jerk his neck and rev his engine.

“Remember,” a spiky-haired guy wearing a fur-collar vest calls out, as he walks in between the cars. “It’s the first one to the second stop sign. Winner take all. Anything goes.”

He slaps his hands on the hoods of both cars and spins around, facing the drivers.

“You can go when my lady, Lust, gives you the signal. Good luck!”

He walks off to the side, and a lady with hair down to her knees walks out in his place. Her hips sway in ways that shouldn’t even be possible, and the way her chest is contained in that strapless dress defies the laws of gravity and…other physics.

“Play nice, boys,” she calls seductively, and the guys in the surrounding crowd whoop and whistle.

Then she whips out a green flag from…somewhere and the two cars fly past her. I barely have time to turn my head before they’ve roared by, heading for the end of the street. The Dodge wins by a split second. They slow and turn down opposite side streets, and I can only assume they’re driving back around to settle things.

But I didn’t really come here to watch. I’m on a mission.

“So…” I whisper under my breath. “If I were selling car parts to these guys, where would I be…”

I scan the street again, and…honestly, I have no clue. Looking back at the starting line, two new cars are setting up to go. The guy with the leather and fur looks like he’s in charge. I guess maybe he can help me.

Moving through the crowd, I inch past different groups of people, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, until I’m fairly close to where the guy was standing during the last race.

A loud _bang!_ catches me off guard, and I jump. I look toward the sound to see the boss guy holding one of the potential racers by the front of his shirt. He’s got him pulled halfway out of his driver’s side window, and they’re practically nose to nose.

I feel my throat lock up as cold races down my spine.

“Don’t you ever try to short me again, little punk.”

“I’m s-sorry, Mr. Greed, sir,” the driver whimpers. “I swear, it’ll never happen again.”

“Damn right it won’t,” the boss guy snarls, “or you know what’ll happen.”

The driver visibly swallows, and I can almost see his fear like an aura surrounding him.

“Good.” The boss sets him down in his car and pats his shoulder. “Glad we understand each other.”

When he moves away, he turns toward me, and I freeze when his eyes meet mine. Or rather, his circle sunglasses. Who the hell wears circle sunglasses at night? Or at all?

He grins at me, and I take a step back, stumbling into someone.

“Hey! Watch it!”

I turn around and duck my head. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you.”

“Oh really?” a sarcastic voice snaps back. “Is that some sort of short joke!”

“What?” I blink and look up at the guy talking.

He’s a very angry blonde guy wearing a red leather jacket, black leather pants, and black combat boots. The leather gloves are a nice touch. His hair is tied up in a ponytail except for his bangs that fall in his eyes. Honestly, he’d be kind of cute if he weren’t vibrating with rage.

“You trying to say I’m some kind of pipsqueak!?”

“N-no,” I say softly, confusion muddling my brain. I mean, he’s taller than me—only by a few inches, but still. Plus, I don’t even know him. “I j-just…”

“You are a pipsqueak, Elric.” A guy with a dog collar walks up and throws his arm around him.

“WHAT?” Blonde Guy twists violently out of the guy’s embrace, looking murderous. “Get your hands off me, Dolcetto!”

“Give the girl a break, kid. She’s clearly lost.”

Oh no. Is it that obvious I don’t belong here?

“I’m not lost,” I protest, but my voice wavers, and I know I’m blushing.

The blonde guy looks at me again, and his face loses some of its anger. And I was right. He is kind of cute.

“No, seriously, what are you doing here, princess?” he asks, crossing his arms. “Aside from assaulting the locals.”

“Don’t call me ‘princess,” I snarl, “and I wasn’t assaulting–”

“Giving our guest a hard time, Edward?”

I feel a shadow fall over me, and I shiver at the smooth voice behind me.

“What? No. I was just talking to–”

The shadow moves closer, and the blonde guy drops his arms, his hands clenching into fists. I catch his eye, and it’s like I can hear him telling me to run for it. But I can’t move. There’s a moment of deafening noise as the cars behind us take off, and then the voice speaks again.

“Did you need something, Miss?”

Slowly, I turn to face him, the guy with the circle sunglasses, the one who is way scarier than I first realized.

“Um, n-no. I was just… I was just–”

“Are you cold?” he offers gently, his current demeanor nothing like the guy who threatened the driver a few seconds ago. “I can get you something warm to drink. My name is Greed. I’m sort of the boss around here.”

“No.” I shake my head, hugging myself tighter. “No, thank you, Mr.…Greed.”

I might be shivering, but it’s not from the cold.

“Just Greed is fine.”

“Oh, okay. Um. Actually, I was hoping to find someone who sells rare engine parts,” I tell him in a rush before softly adding, “I’m a mechanic.”

“Oh, a mechanic?” He grins broadly and holds out his arm, his other sliding around my shoulder. “Why didn’t you say so?”

He starts pulling me down the street, and I feel panic flood my veins.

“I know just the person to help you with–”

“I can help you.”

I jerk my head toward the voice only to find the blonde guy—Edward, I guess—watching us intently. I plead to him with my eyes to save me. I’m not sure if he’s really any more trustworthy than Greed, but something about him feels…safe.

Or safer, I guess.

“It’s no trouble, Elric,” Greed tells him, his voice thinning slightly. “I can take care of Miss…”

“Rockbell,” I supply without thinking.

I immediately want to rip my tongue out when I see Edward wince. I’m so dumb. Obviously, I shouldn’t tell any of these people my name.

“Miss Rockbell,” Greed finishes, his voice clearly sugar-coated now.

“But aren’t you busy with the races?” Edward cuts in quickly.

“Dolcetto and Martel–”

“I just saw three half-drunk guys with a ‘Vette pull up in the back. They look like the usual trust funders and ripe for the picking.”

“A ‘Vette you say?” Greed’s tune changes sharply. “Hmm. Still…Dolcetto and Martel should be able to handle a few–”

“And you know I know all the best dealers on this block,” Edward jumps in again. “It would make more sense for me to take her.”

Greed releases me slowly and looks between me and Edward before nodding.

“Aha. I think I see what’s going on here.” He grins again and waves me toward the blonde boy. “Go ahead, Elric. Show her the, uh, _dealers_. Just make sure you wrap up first.”

I blink at him confused before Edward mutters some profanity under his breath and shoves his gloved fingers through his bangs.

Did I say he was cute? Because he’s not. I’m not sure what happened, but all of the sudden, he turned… _hot_. Like _really hot_.

Oh my God. I don’t have time to be thinking about that right now.

Greed saunters off wearing a smirk, and I take a step toward my attractive would-be savior.

At least, I hope.

**_Edward_ **

_Shit._ How did I end up here?

Not racing, like I want to be, but instead staring at a perfect blonde princess that Greed basically just told me to go fuck in an alley somewhere.

“What was he talking about?” she asks quietly.

“Huh?”

“What he said just now—Greed. What did he mean?”

I blink at her, and glance away in bewilderment, before looking back.

“What exactly are you referring to?” I return slowly, hoping her question doesn’t mean what I think it meant.

“About you ‘wrapping up first?’ What does that have to do with auto part dealers?”

I press my lips together, and reach up to rub the back of my neck. I mean, did she really not get he was referring to use having sex? Fuck. She really wound up in the wrong place tonight.

“Nothing,” I mutter when I realize she’s still waiting on an answer. “Just, um…ignore that.”

“Oh. Okay.” She nods, not quite meeting my eyes. “So, you were going to show me where to get engine parts?”

“Yeah. Follow me.”

I turn around and start down the sidewalk. I figure I’ll start with Donovan. If he doesn’t have what she needs, he’ll know who does. I pause at the corner of the alley and look over my shoulder, only the princess isn’t there.

“What the hell?” I hiss. “Where did she go?”

Weaving back through the crowd, I find her where I left her, shivering and looking around wildly.

“I told you to follow me,” I growl, grabbing her hand.

“What?” she gasps. “Oh!”

I pull her out of the way of some stumbling drunken assholes, pushing her against the wall and shielding her with my body.

“You okay?”

She licks her lips and looks anywhere but at my face.

“I’m fine,” she whispers finally, and it’s hard to ignore her flushed cheeks. “I didn’t see where you went, and I…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I step back when they’ve moved off down the sidewalk and start to pull her after me again.

“Hey, Edward?” she calls, practically jogging to keep up with me.

“Yeah?”

“Is your hand, um, automail?”

I freeze mid-step and round on her again. “What of it? Is that a problem for you?”

“No,” she glares, and I’m almost surprised. The princess has more guts than I realized. “I was just curious. You don’t have to be a jerk about it.”

I wince, and then shake my head. I don’t have time to feel sorry for hurting some random girl’s feelings.

“Come on. I thought you needed auto parts.”

Without waiting for her to answer, I grab her hand again and take off. We reach Donovan’s without any more interruptions, but his lights are off, so I stop at the bottom of the stairs and tell her to wait while I go knock.

She nods, and I go up slowly, knocking on the cracked doorframe three times, and waiting. I hear the sound of bolts sliding back, and finally, the door cracks a few millimeters.

“Who is it?” a low voice asks.

“Tell Donovan it’s me,” I answer, leaning on the frame.

“Elric? I thought he told you to piss off. He won’t do business with the Devil’s Nesters anymore.”

“I’m not here for them,” I say quickly before the door shuts. “I have a new buyer looking for engine parts.”

“Name?”

“Rockbell.”

I hear the princess gasp, and I wave at her to shut up.

“Wait here.”

I sigh as the door clicks shut. After a few seconds, I jump over the stairs onto the street, landing in a crouch in front of the girl. She flinches in surprise, and I laugh silently.

“Don’t scare me like that,” she hisses. “What did he say?”

“I’m waiting to see. If Donovan will see you, you’ll probably find what you need.”

“Oh. Good.”

“You said your name was Rockbell?” I turn to her, and she tucks her hair behind her ear.

I instantly notice a string of piercings along the delicate curve. I’m tempted to touch them.

“Yes.” She nods.

“Is there a first name to go with that?”

“Well… I mean…”

“You know mine,” I remind her. “And if you don’t tell me, I’m going to have to keep calling you, ‘princess,’ all night.”

“Winry,” she tells me with a huff. “I’m Winry.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard.”

She opens her mouth to say something I can only expect will be sassy when the door opens and Donovan’s huge frame fills the entry.

“Come in, and make it quick.”

I lead us in, and he locks the door immediately. Winry stares at the five deadbolts and two chains with wide eyes, and I bite my lip. She’s fucking adorable.

“Don’t panic,” I say, as she squeezes my automail tighter. “He’s just paranoid.”

“I think you mean cautious,” Donovan booms as he moves past us to his living room. “Come this way.”

Winry sits close to me on the couch while Donovan takes up residence in a large chair. There’s no sign of whoever I spoke to at the door, but that’s not really a concern right now.

“What is it you need, Miss Rockbell?”

“I’m looking for this.”

She reaches into her jacket and pulls out a detailed design drawn on a thinning piece of graph paper.

Donovan takes it, and I watch his eyes squint with a frown.

“This is…hmm.” He studies the image closer. “What did you say you needed this for again?”

“I didn’t,” Winry answers softly. “But that shouldn’t matter, should it?”

She looks over at me, and I shrug one shoulder. I’m not curious about her reasons, and when I contact dealers for parts, they all know better than to ask me what I need them for. That probably has to do more with my relationship with the Devil’s Nest than my street cred, but either way.

“I suppose not,” he mutters gruffly, still scrutinizing the paper.

Eventually, he sets it down and turns to her. “That piece is very rare. Difficult to track down.”

“I know,” she murmurs. “That’s why I came here.”

“I can get it for you, but it’ll be a few days, and it won’t be cheap.”

“I can pay.”

“Edward, will you be running point on this?” Donovan looks at me before turning to Winry. “Or how should I expect to get it to you when I have it?”

“I, um…”

“I’ll take care of it,” I volunteer. “Just let me know when it’s in, and I’ll handle the exchange.”

“Fine.” The large man stands. “In total, the cost is two hundred. I require half now, and half after Ed delivers the part.”

“Two hundred cens?” her musical voice pipes up, and I shoot a look at Donavan, who is frowning deeply.

“Thousand,” I hiss at her.

“What?” she gasps.

“Two hundred _thousand_ cens,” I clarify, hoping she catches on quickly.

“Right, um, okay.” Winry reaches into her jacket again, looking flustered. “I have… I have, um…”

Her hands are shaking as she pulls out a wrinkled envelope. I reach out and put my hand on hers, fully aware of Donovan’s eagle eyes on us.

“Do you have it?” I whisper, trying not to let her hear the dread in my voice.

Her eyes take on a sheen of tears, and I already know the answer.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!_

She doesn’t have the money, and Donovan will be pissed we wasted his time. Even more pissed at me because I knew better than to bring in a buyer who couldn’t pay.

 _Shit_.

“Is there a problem?”

“Just give us a second,” I answer without taking my eyes off of her, trying not to let her see my panic. “How much do you need?”

“Thirty thousand,” she ekes out, glancing at Donovan and then back at me. “I get paid tomorrow, and I have the rest at home, I just didn’t know I needed that much at once. I–”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll cover the difference.”

It’ll suck but it’s way worse than the alternative.

She stares at me like I’ve grown a second head, but before I overthink it, I slide three bills out of my wallet and into her envelope.

“Edward–”

“Here you go.” I grab the envelope out of her frozen fingers and stand, handing it to him.

“Excellent.”

I stand there while he counts it, and then turn to collect Winry as he leads us to the door.

“Thank you for your business, Miss Rockbell.” He shakes her small hand in his large one before turning to me. “Edward, I’ll be in touch.”

“Until then.”

We duck out, and the door closes behind us.

“Now what?” Winry asks as we walk down the steps to the abandoned sidewalk. “Do we go back to the race?”

“No. Now, _I_ go back to the race, and you go home to your castle.”

“I don’t live in a castle–”

“You do in comparison to this shithole,” I interrupt her harshly. “But that’s not even my point. You can’t come down here again. Ever.”

“But…then how am I supposed to get the part I need?”

_Not by coming to the Lane._

“I’ll bring it to you.”

Somehow. My baby’s sitting on blocks at the Devil’s Nest garage. That thirty thousand I just gave her was supposed to be the last payment I needed to finish her body work. And since I spent tonight leading Winry around, I didn’t get any racing in, so Greed won’t be inclined to give me a cut of the profits. Usually I can make at least a hundred grand on a night like this. Plus, I told Al I’d go to the grocery store this week. We need bread and milk—milk, ew, I might forgo getting any of that—and I think the toilet paper is running low.

“You have a cell phone?”

“Um, of course.”

“Give me your number.”

She freezes, and I tilt my head at her, waiting.

“You want my number? Why?”

I roll my eyes slightly and then back to her. “So, I can text you when your part comes in and we can meet somewhere?”

I watch her eyes close and her face turn pink.

“Right. I’m an idiot.” She shakes her head. “Here, give me your phone, and I’ll put it in.”

“Sorry. Battery’s dead.”

She blinks as if that’s an entirely foreign concept to her, which it probably is.

“Okay, then let me write it down.”

She reaches into her jacket again, and I wait.

“Oh. I forgot. I don’t have a pen or anything.” She meets my eyes again. “Um…”

“Just tell it to me,” I say, trying not to grin. She’s too adorable to be real.

“What?”

“Your number. Just tell me. I’ll remember it.”

“Are you sure? I bet I can, um–”

“You’re not going to find a pen around here if that’s what you were about to say. Seriously, just tell me the number.”

She exhales, and I’m temporarily stunned by the way her lips part.

“Okay then.”

She says it slowly, and then repeats it, giving me time to commit each digit to memory. After, I echo it back to her, just to be sure.

“Yeah. That’s it.”

“Excellent. I’ll text you when I have it.”

“Should you give me your number, so I know it’s you?”

“Will you remember it?”

She rolls her eyes, and I bite my cheek, so I won’t smile at her. Fuck, this girl is dangerous to my reputation. If Greed caught me smiling at a girl, he’d own me for life.

“I have my phone right here.” She pulls it out of her pocket and holds it out to me. “You can just save your number right now.”

I could, but…where’s the fun in that?

“That’s okay.” I wave her off. “Trust me, you’ll know it’s me.”

“For some reason, I don’t doubt that,” she mumbles. “Well, I guess this is goodbye then.”

“Do you know how to get home?”

She holds up her fancy cell phone. “It has GPS, so I think I’ll be okay.”

“Right.” I glance over my shoulder and then back at her. “Listen, go straight home. Don’t follow me back toward the race, and don’t wander around. Walk fast and try to stay in better lit areas if you can. This area isn’t safe, especially for pretty girls on their own.”

God, it’s a miracle she even made it here, now that I think about it. Especially with that huge amount of cash in her purse.

“You think I’m pretty?”

“What?” I frown at her. “No.”

She raises her eyebrows, and my hands clench into fists.

“You’re completely missing my point,” I growl. “This area is dangerous.”

“I can take care of myself.”

She tosses her head, and I feel some of my irritation fade. She is just so damn cute. And that’s the problem.

“Somehow, I don’t doubt that,” I confess gently, “but all the same you need to be careful.”

“I could text you when I get home,” she suggests jokingly, “but you’d have to give me your number for that.”

I’m half-tempted to take her up on it, but the last thing my piece-of-shit phone needs are texts from a girl to kill its crappy battery even faster. Fuck, I need to put a new phone on my list of Shit I Need But Can’t Afford.

“That’s okay. As long as you go straight there you should be fine.” I slide my hands into my jacket pockets and start toward the race.

“Okay. Bye.”

I nod at her over my shoulder just in time to see her turn around and start typing into her phone. I shake my head and take a left down the alley. When I make it back to Dolcetto, I feel a surge of guilt.

What if she gets lost? Or mugged? Or worse.

A sickening feeling spreads through my stomach, and I start to turn back.

“Edward, what happened to your pretty new friend?” I groan internally at Greed’s voice. “Did you two get the part she needed?”

“Yes,” I answer flatly, turning to face him.

“And did you get what _you_ needed?”

“I didn’t fuck her, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Ah, but you wanted to.”

My jaw pops, and I tilt my head back to glare at him. He doesn’t need to know he’s a tiny bit right.

“There’s no point in denying it,” Solaris, or Lust, I guess, since we’re in public, sidles up to him, and slides under his arm. “I could practically smell the desire rolling off of you.”

“Leave her alone,” I snap. “Besides, it’s not like she’s coming back anyway.”

“Ouch.” Greed fakes a wince. “You struck out that bad?”

“Aw, let him be, Greed,” Lust smirks at me, resting her cheek against Greed’s fur collar. “Can’t you see he’s trying to be a gentleman?”

“Elric? A gentleman,” he scoffs with laughter. “Please.”

“Look, you made his face all red,” Lust purrs.

“I’m pretty sure I can find something better to be doing right now,” I mutter, turning away.

“Wait, Elric,” Greed calls me back, and I sigh because as much as I’m ready to get out of here, he’s sort of someone I can’t ignore.

“What now?”

“Tomorrow I expect you to actually race something. As short-fused as you are, you’re the best driver I can put behind a wheel. Tomorrow is the start of winter break for Central U, so I expect more of a turnout than tonight. Don’t miss it.”

I open my mouth to tell him I’m supposed to close tomorrow at the butcher shop where I work part time, but then I shut it. If I tell Sig I need to take off early to go to the grocery store, he’ll probably let me, even though he’ll also probably know I’m lying. Still, it should be fine unless his wife is around. I can never get a lie past her.

But I can’t worry about that right now.

“I’ll be here.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Greed grins. “Now, go home to that brother of yours and get some sleep.”

He turns away, and I feel like I can breathe again. Getting mixed up with the Devil’s Nest was never something I planned on doing, but when you grow up on these streets you don’t have a lot of options. Still, I can hold my own better than most, and generally, I just keep my head down and do what I have to.

Someday, I’ll get out of here, and I’ll take Al with me. Until then, I just have to stay focused.

No distractions.


	2. Just Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Street Race AU  
> A meeting is set for the part and new players are introduced in the Central City underground.

**_Winry_ **

He never texted.

I didn’t really start hoping for him to until the fourth day, since it was supposed to be a business deal. Though, I’m not sure, but…I’m pretty sure he was flirting with me. Maybe not _flirting_ but he seemed interested… Unless I made that up.

I rise from my seat at my workbench and walk toward my dresser.

But it doesn’t even matter if he was flirting or interested or whatever because it was supposed to be business. I paid that Donovan guy a hundred thousand cens, and Edward agreed to text me when my part came in.

That was a week ago. A week.

As in seven whole days.

And still nothing!

I’m starting to think he and Donovan played me.

…maybe.

I turn around and walk in the other direction.

I mean, I don’t know… He seemed really sincere at the time. He was _definitely_ serious about me never going back to Sinners’ Lane again. That’s for sure. Could he really have conned me out of seventy thousand cens?

I spin around to pace back the other way.

But then why would he have helped me pay Donovan in the first place?

He probably forgot my number. God, that is so like a guy, to say “I’ll remember it,” like a douchebag and then immediately forget it. And, of course, he wouldn’t give me his number, for whatever reason, so now I’m just—

“Winry, are you even listening to me?”

“Huh? What?” I stop walking and turn to look at Paninya, who is sitting on my workbench frowning at me.

“I was talking to you about the upgrade, but I’m pretty sure you’re on another planet.”

“Sorry,” I mutter, moving to sit down on the edge of my bed. “I… What were you saying?”

“I was asking how much longer you think it’ll be. I mean, I don’t mind waiting, but I was kind of looking forward to my knees not hurting every time it rains.”

I sigh and flop onto my back.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “The guy said–”

“The hot one?”

Wow do I regret mentioning he was hot.

“More like the hotheaded one,” I correct, shifting my eyes to look at her. “But yeah, Edward. He said he’d text me when he had it, and so far…”

I cross my arms in the air as a big X meaning I have received nothing from him.

“That sucks.”

“Yeah.”

I was really hoping this upgrade would work out. I still haven’t told her I only asked for one double-hinged auto retractor and not two, so even if it did come in, only one of her knees would be fully upgraded. But I just can’t afford a second one right now. Not when they cost two hundred _thousand_ cens each.

“It’s probably better this way,” she says quieter, and I lift my head to look at her. “I still haven’t told Dominic about it.”

“What?” I jerk into a sitting position.

Dominic is her primary automail mechanic, but more importantly, he’s her adoptive father.

“Paninya, he–”

“I know,” she cuts me off, rubbing her hands over her face. “He deserves to know. I just… I know what he’ll say. That it isn’t worth the risk and pain of changing out both joints when I’m not completely done growing yet especially for such expensive pieces, but… I haven’t gotten any taller in the last year! And it’s not like you’re going to build completely new legs, just knee joints!”

“I know.”

And I’m hoping to make them so they can be transferred to any new automail legs she might need in the future.

She exhales loudly and jumps down from my workbench to pace in the same place I just was.

“And it’s not that I don’t appreciate what he’s done for me,” she goes on. “I love my automail. I just…”

“You are still planning on having me reinstall your weapons when I do the upgrade, right?”

She stops and turns to look at me.

“I mean…if you’re still willing to do it.”

I nod, and pull my legs up, twisting so that I’m facing her fully, sitting cross-legged on my mattress.

Last year, when Dominic fitted her with new legs to accommodate her last growth spurt, he added a concealed blade in her right shin and a 1.5-inch tear gas cannon to her left for self-defense. Six months ago, new restrictions were passed on automail as part of a government combat automail control bill. All weapons are required to be licensed and registered, and no one under the age of twenty-one is allowed to have any at all. Dominic disagreed with the new rules as much as we did, but he removed the weapons anyway since Pan is only seventeen. By putting them back, I’ll be breaking the law, but considering the kinds of activities she gets up to in her spare time, it’s worth it to me for her to be safe. In truth, I’m more concerned about Dominic’s reaction to me helping her than I am about the legality of it.

“Can we just worry about it when the parts finally come in?” she asks finally.

“Sure.” I nod again. “But I really think you should tell Dominic. At least about getting your joints upgraded.”

She sighs loudly and falls onto the stool at my workbench.

“I know you don’t want to, but he should at least be sort of understanding when you explain how your stumps and joints bother you when it rains, right?”

“Maybe. But then he’ll question why I’m having you do it and not him, since he’s designed all my automail before.”

“You can tell him it’s for my thesis project,” I volunteer quickly. “That Mr. Garfiel is having me design, build, and install a completely original design as part of my apprenticeship, and before I do a full arm or leg he’s having me start with some joints.”

She blinks and her face brightens.

“That might actually work.”

“Thanks.” I feel a glow of pride in my chest.

Though, maybe I shouldn’t, considering how deceptive this whole thing is. Am I really proud of lying? Gah. My brain can’t handle a moral dilemma on top of everything else.

“Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure. How about…”

My phone pings, and I blink, whipping my head around to look at it.

Paninya stands and grabs it off the workbench where I left it, scanning the screen.

“Princess, I have it,” she reads slowly before looking up at me. “What the hell?”

I groan and slide off the bed.

“It’s him,” I mutter, crossing to take the phone from her. “The guy with the part.”

“Really?” She raises her eyebrows. “He calls you ‘princess?’”

“Yeah. I can’t get him to stop.”

“Kinky.” She grins, and I smack her in the arm.

“Shut up.”

I text him back quickly, resisting the urge to tell him off for not messaging me sooner. And for calling me “princess” again.

“What is he saying?” Pan leans over my shoulder, and I hit send before turning off the screen. The last thing I need is her eavesdropping.

“We’re setting up a time and place to meet so he can give me the stuff, and I can pay him.”

“You should meet in City Park,” she announces. “Late, though, when there aren’t as many people around. Like nine pm. If you go too late cops start patrolling.”

I nod and send Edward her suggestion. I don’t have to ask her how she knows so much about secret rendezvous spots for underground trades. Before Dominic adopted her when she was twelve, Paninya grew up on Sinner’s Lane. She hasn’t shared all of the details with me, and I haven’t pushed, but from what she’s said I know she ran product for some of the local dealers on top of becoming a highly skilled pickpocket. (I have a feeling the accident that took her legs is related, but I can’t be sure.) It took six months to break her habit at school where I kept finding stolen items in her locker. Luckily, those items all found their way to the lost-and-found, and she never got caught.

Edward texts me back, confirming the meet, and I take a minute to add his number to my contacts.

“Tomorrow night,” I announce, sliding the phone in my pocket.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“Like I told you last time, it’s too risky for you. Dominic will catch you for sure if you sneak out, and I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

Or raise his suspicions.

“Besides,” I continue before she can argue, “City Park is much safer than where I went before.”

“That’s true I guess.”

“It is. So, if that’s settled, wanna go find something to eat?”

“Sure.”

I instantly start for the door.

“Hold on,” she calls after me. “You’re not going solo just so you can be alone with the hot guy again, are you? I mean, you know he’s bad news, right?”

Crap.

“No,” I answer her calmly. “I’m going alone because it makes more sense. And just because he’s hot doesn’t mean I lose all sense of reason when he’s around. It isn’t a date; it’s just business.”

She gives me a knowing look, and I want to slap her. I mean, I’m telling the truth.

I think.

“What?” I frown when her eyes widen and shift to the side.

“Nothing, just…is that not exactly what you said about that guy you met online, Neil or whatever, when he was talking to you about cold weather automail?”

“No,” I sputter. “I mean, maybe, but only because it’s true.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously! Neil is just a friend. I was interested in his work. That was it!”

“You told me he almost kissed you.”

Oh my God. _Why_ does she remember that? It was _one time!_

“Uh, yeah.” I roll my eyes. “The keyword being _‘almost.’”_

He and I met up in Rush Valley for an automail convention and he asked me to lunch, and at the end, he leaned in, and…I leaned down to grab my purse.

“And if the hot guy almost kisses you?” Paninya continues.

“His name is Edward,” I snap.

“Fine, if _Edward_ almost kisses you?”

“Why would he do that?” I cross my arms, still attempting to deflect her question. “We barely know each other.”

“You told me he was flirting with you,” she points out. “And I know guys from the Lane. Barely knowing a girl isn’t a deterrent to kissing her.”

Really? That’s… I don’t know what to do with that. I mean, what if he _does_ try to kiss me? Do I want him to? Do I not?

Oh my God! This is nuts!

“He’s _not_ going to try to kiss me,” I say with conviction. “We are literally only meeting to exchange money for automail parts.”

“Yeah. Sure. Okay.” She nods, sarcasm lacing every word she says. “Let me know how that goes.”

She walks past me out the door, and I glare after her, my mind spinning with her insinuation.

I mean, Edward wouldn’t _actually_ try to kiss me, right? If he were interested in me as more than a…girl he met one time at a street race, wouldn’t he have texted me before today?

“Winry, are you coming?”

“Yeah. Yes!”

God. I can’t worry about this now. If he tries to kiss me when we meet…I’ll worry about it then.

**_Edward_ **

Damn, she tastes like heaven.

“Ed…” she moans against my mouth. _“Oh God.”_

I kiss her harder, my fingers sliding under the hem of her top. She gasps at my touch, and I curse my automail for denying me the feel of her soft skin. Her knees go weak, and I lower her to the ground, covering her with my body. I tilt my head to kiss her better, her lips parting in surprise, allowing me just enough room to taste her tongue with mine.

“Ed,” she pleads this time, her fingers digging into my hair.

My palms slide over her sides—damn, her body fits perfectly in my hands.

“Oh!” She arches her neck, and I drop my lips to kiss the vein there.

And then lower to her shoulder where her top is slipping. It’s like kissing satin.

“Princess,” I whisper, kissing her again.

She moans my name, and I grab a handful of grass beside her head.

“Someone will see,” she chokes, her eyes opening wide. “We can’t!”

I kiss her cheek. Her jaw.

“No one is around,” I remind her, my thumb making tiny circles on the skin over her ribs. “City Park is abandoned at this hour.”

“But…but…” Her eyes flutter closed. “This was just business.”

I grin against her ear. “Says who?”

Her fingers tighten in my hair, and her knees open allowing my hips to fall through.

 _Holy shit._ I could fucking howl.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I jerk awake and nearly fall out of my bed.

“Whada fuck?” I slur, squinting.

“Brother, what the heck are you doing in there!”

Shit! I was sleeping? I groan, rubbing my hand over my face. It takes a second for my body to wake up.

 _Well_.

I grimace and throw my head back against my pillow. One part of me is definitely already awake.

“Brother!”

“It was just a dream, Al!” I shout back at him, trying to keep just how frustrated I am out of my voice.

“It’s almost noon,” he calls back. “Don’t you have to be places today?”

Shit. Shit. Shit!

Throwing the sheets off, I stumble out of bed and swing open the door, forcing Al to jump back as I move past him.

“I needa shower,” I mumble.

I’m supposed to be at work at one, and I was planning to go to the garage first to check on my baby. Now, I’ll barely be there on time.

“Don’t you have school?” I yell back to him.

“It’s Saturday.”

I hear his amused answer but don’t have time to flip him off because it takes at least five minutes to heat up the shower, so the sooner I get the water on the better. While I’m waiting for it to heat up, I grab my automail maintenance stuff, and wince at the bottle of antioxidant oil. I’m supposed to apply it any time I get my automail wet, but with an entire arm and leg of automail, it goes down really fast. And since it costs almost an arm and a leg to buy a new bottle, I’m stuck.

“Fuck.”

I bet there’s a dealer I can negotiate with on the Lane, but I don’t have time today, and funds have been tight since I helped Winry out with Donovan.

“Winry.”

Saying her name sends a rush of intense dream images flashing through my head, which I immediately try to forget as I strip off my shorts and step into the shower. It’s no use though, because I can’t get her out of my brain.

Her adorable smile. Her deep blue eyes. All that pretty blonde hair. It’s probably as long as mine, and hell if I don’t want to run my fingers through it. Not to mention her perfect curves and those legs that go on forever…

What I wouldn’t give to see her in a skirt.

“Fuck,” I hiss as I squeeze the bar of soap in my hand.

I tilt my head back under the steaming spray and grind my teeth. Soap is not the thing I want to have my fist wrapped around.

On the other hand, I shouldn’t entertain any kind of dirty thoughts about Winry. All my business with her is literally _just business._ I’ll see her tonight for the meeting and never again.

I turn and reach for the faucet. If I take a cold shower, maybe I can kill this stupid bodily reaction. Of course, then I would just be a different kind of uncomfortable.

“Bullshit,” I mutter, grabbing the shampoo.

All I have to do is not think about her, and I’ll be fine. No need to torture myself. She’s just some girl I met one time. It can’t be that difficult.

“You’re late, Elric.”

I wince at the deep voice from behind the meat counter as I rush to the back.

A cold shower did _not_ help with my…problem, but it did make me late to get dressed, which made me late to catch the bus, which of course, got stuck in traffic somehow, so I had to run the last three miles, and ultimately, I was still five minutes late.

I think I might be cursed.

“Sorry,” I mutter pathetically as I grab an apron and hurry to the sink to scrub my hands before putting on gloves.

I steal a look at my giant of a boss, and quickly look away when I see the intense stare he has me pinned with.

“How much trouble am I in this time?” I ask through gritted teeth.

“You’re in luck,” he rumbles, crossing his arms. “She hasn’t come out front yet, so you’re in the clear.”

“Really?” I look up in surprise.

Maybe I’m not cursed after all.

“Just don’t tell her, and I won’t say anything either.”

“Got it.”

Mr. Curtis might be as big as a house with a voice of booming thunder, but it’s his wife who’s the scary one. She says she’s just a housewife, but I saw her fight off a mugger once, and… I’d bet my two good limbs she could take on the entire Devil’s Nest and walk away without a scratch. Not that she’s mean or anything, she can be really nice and sort of motherly when she wants to be. She’s just also really tough. And she’s strict about her rules for employees. Being on time is nonnegotiable.

“You two aren’t talking about me, are you?”

I flinch and try to hide it when Izumi comes out from the side room with her arms crossed and her eyebrow raised.

“Of course not, dear,” Sig says smoothly before his features crease with a frown. “Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m fine.”

She waves away his concern, but now that I’m looking, her face looks paler than normal.

“Edward,” she calls my name, and I straighten like a member of the military.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I have some delivery orders I want you to run today.”

“Oh.” I nod and shift my weight. “But you know I don’t have my car back yet,” I remind her.

“Right.” She frowns. “Well, I guess for now you can borrow the bike, but!” she says quickly when my jaw drops open, “if you scratch it…”

Her eyes narrow on me, and I swallow.

“I won’t scratch it,” I promise.

“Good.” She nods, her look softening. “The orders are in the fridge.”

“Great. Got it.”

Grabbing the insulated bag from under the counter, I go to the back room and start checking the orders against the form posted on the door to the refrigerator and packing the meat.

“Weird,” I mutter as I slide in the last one and zip up my carrier.

All but two of them are for regular customers. The other ones don’t have labels.

“Hey, Izumi,” I call as I walk out, looping the strap over my shoulder. “Where are these two going?”

I show her the blank orders listed on the official report.

“Ah.” She nods. “Those are for our friends in the Xingese District. You can stop by there last.”

“Right.” I turn and head for the alley.

She doesn’t have to elaborate any further than that. The only “friends” she could be referring to in the Xingese District are members of the Yao clan, a large and wealthy family that owns the Imperial, the fanciest hotel in Central City. Rumors of underground gambling and illicit drugs have surrounded it for years, but no one has ever been able to prove anything. Other, wilder rumors about the patriarch of the family being terminally ill with an extremely rare disease and obsessed with a search for a cure have also been floating around, along with some of the wild and untested methods he’s considered.

But I’m not really worried about that. I’m just trying to deliver some meat.

Strapping the carrier to the bike, I swing my leg over and adjust my helmet before flipping the kickstand and revving the engine.

“Fuuuuck,” I hiss.

After an initial roar, the engine quiets to a low rumble. Not as sweet as when my baby purrs, but the feel of the raw power between my legs is intense.

“What did I say about scratching it?” Izumi’s yell catches me by surprise, and I lurch forward before stopping.

“I won’t,” I call back as I whip my head around.

“That’s right. You won’t.” She gives me a final parting look and disappears back into the building.

With the threat of imminent doom hanging over my head, should I fail to keep her bike safe, I pull out of the alley into the road.

It only takes me forty-five minutes to get the regular orders delivered, and then I head for the Xingese District, being careful to avoid back alleys and side streets because, while I know these streets like the back of my hand, I also know main roads are safer during daylight hours, especially when I’m on a borrowed motorcycle.

When I reach the Imperial, I pull up to the front door, only to be immediately waved forward by a glaring attendant. His sunglasses hide his eyes, but his frown is impossible to miss.

“Where do I go then?” I ask, the rude edge clearly audible in my tone.

“This way,” a small girl with braids calls to me as she steps up to the curb and starts walking around the side of the building. “Deliveries are always taken in the alley, directly to the kitchen or storage rooms,” she explains when I stop in a loading dock.

“Sorry, but do you work here?” I frown at her.

“Essentially.” She shrugs. “I’m Mei Chang, and the head of the Imperial is my father,” she explains, “but he has a lot of kids so the only way for any of his children to inherit is to remain close to him, so I’m here to maintain that connection.”

“Aha.” I nod, totally not understanding how this family functions at all, not that my own is a great model anyway. “Well, where do I go now?”

“This way.” She leads me through a side entrance and into a kitchen. “Normally, you would leave the food in the fridge and sign here that you left it.” She points to a form by the counter. “However, since you’ve never delivered before, you’ll have to take the food to a senior staff member to inspect it first.”

Internally, I roll my eyes as I follow her out into the dining area with the packages of cold meat in my hands.

“Mei,” a male voice calls out as soon as we enter the room.

“Ling.” She starts walking faster, and I rush to keep up.

She stops at a table full of food where a lean guy about my age is dressed in all black from head to toe, except his arms which are completely bare due to his sleeveless shirt.

“And who is this?”

“New delivery person,” she announces. “You should check his meat. I’ve got to go back to the front.”

“Edward,” I introduce myself as the small girl walks off. “Call me Ed.”

“Ling,” he mumbles through a fresh bite of food. “Hungry?”

“No, thanks.” I shake my head. “I’m good.”

“That’s okay. Lan Fan can have some.”

He jerks his head back which is when I suddenly notice the stony-faced girl standing behind him, knives glinting in holsters on both of her hips, and despite her casual stance, I get the feeling she’s ready to spring into action at any moment.

“No thank you, my lord,” she says softly, and one of my eyebrows quirks.

“‘My lord?’” I echo.

“Is that a problem for you?” Ling squints at me, and I shake my head.

“No problem. I just have your meat.”

“Let me see it.”

Shoving some of his many plates aside, Ling clears some space and I set the meat packages in front of him. He opens one and looks at it for half a second before declaring them both good and reaching for _another_ plate of food.

“Is this really all for you?” I murmur, still not sure what I’m seeing.

“I like food.” He shrugs. “And I have jet lag, so my stomach hasn’t caught up to what time of day is supposed to be mealtime.”

“Jet lag?”

“I just arrived from Xing last night. Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve made a pretty significant discovery that could affect my father’s diagnosis.”

I blink at him.

“Master Ling, please tell me you aren’t sharing our family business with random strangers _again_ ,” an old man suddenly comes out of the shadows and steps between us, causing me to take a step back.

“Hardly, Fu,” Ling waves his hand. “I was telling my new friend, Edward.”

“Friend? Hold on, I barely even–”

“Well, he’s working,” Fu says over me, “so it’s probably time he got going, right Edward?”

He gives me a look that leaves no room for argument, and I nod.

“Yeah, uh, I’ve got meat to…do.”

“Well, at least leave your number,” Ling calls as I back away. “Give it to Mei. That way we can talk more sometime.”

What the heck?

Fu leads me back through the kitchens, and I sigh with relief as I quickly scan the bike for scratches and come up empty. Climbing back on, I hear footsteps behind me.

“Ed!” Mei says suddenly, “before you go, could you give this to your brother for me?”

“What?” I feel my eyes narrow at her as I frown. “How do you know my brother?”

“From school,” she answers jerking back, as if it should’ve been obvious, and…maybe it should’ve. “It’s his chemistry notes,” she explains holding a notebook out to me. “I borrowed them to compare them with some old texts I have here. We’re working on a project and–”

“I really don’t need details,” I murmur. “But I’ll make sure he gets them.”

“Okay, thanks!”

She beams, and I reach up to clasp the helmet strap under my chin before tucking the notebook into the carrier behind me.

“See you later then.”

She waves as I start the bike and pull out down the alley and head back to the butcher shop where people and things make sense.


	3. Sinners and Saints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Street Race AU  
> Ed takes Winry for a drive in his car and things take a new turn in their relationship.

**_Edward_ **

When I arrive back at the butcher shop, I notice a mysterious looking car parked in front as I’m carefully moving the bike into the alley. But I can’t worry about that. Weird cars or not, I know Izumi will be out here in two seconds to look for any damage I might’ve done.

Except she isn’t…

I wait for a minute before I frown and head inside, grabbing the notebook and carrier off the back along with the helmet. I drop my stuff by the door and move toward the front, stopping in the small hallway when I hear voices.

“Well, if you see anything or hear anything suspicious, please give us a call.”

I crane my neck a little and see a blonde lady in a blue suit handing Sig a business card.

“Also, are you sure Edward Elric won’t be here today? I have on record that he’s an employee here, and I have a few questions I’d like to ask him.”

Cold runs down my back, and I feel my jaw clench. I know that voice. It’s that bastard detective, Mustang. The one who approached me a few weeks ago about making me a C.I. and having me flip on members of the Devil’s Nest (plus anyone else I see committing crimes on the Lane). I told him to fuck off, so I can only imagine what he wants to talk about now.

“I already told you he’s out on a delivery run. I’m not sure when he’ll be back,” Izumi answers with a firm but pleasant tone.

“Well, I’m going to leave my card, too, if you’ll pass it along to him.”

“I’ll see that he gets it.”

And _I’ll_ see that it gets immediately lost in the bio waste (aka the pig blood).

I continue waiting out of sight until the two detectives are safely outside and in their car.

“You can come out, Ed,” Izumi calls almost immediately, and I step into the main room, behind the counter.

“What did they want?”

“They were just checking around with local businesses to see if we’d seen or heard anything about the Saints of Ishval,” Sig chimes in grimly. “Apparently, their leader, Scar, has been causing trouble.”

“And who can blame them,” Izumi huffs as she begins violently chopping meat on the butcher block. “Local government has been passing mandates left and right that specifically target Ishvalan neighborhoods. It’s ridiculous.”

“They have a right to be upset about that,” Sig agrees calmly, “but it’s no reason to become violent with random citizens or even unprovoked law enforcement. Violence never solves anything.”

“I disagree,” Izumi snaps back bringing the cleaver down again. “Self-defense and survival often call for a bit of violence.”

Sig shakes his head and rubs his hand over her shoulder. “You know what I meant.”

“Oh, also,” she calls to me, in a not-subtle way of changing the subject, “the dark haired one asked about you.”

“I heard,” I grimace. “He approached me once before about…something. I bet it was that again. I’m still not interested though.”

“Well, I told him I’d give you this.”

She pulls off her gloves and grabs a business card out of her apron pocket. I take it and shove it in my back pocket, already timing the distance to the trash can to throw it out.

“If you finished those deliveries, you can do some inventory. It’s a pretty slow day,” she changes the subject. “That, or you can help me prep the fresh meat for display.” She nods to the bloody packages on ice behind her.

“I don’t mind doing inventory.”

It’s only for another half hour anyway, and I enjoy the silence back there.

“Only do the beef for now. I don’t want you in the freezer for too long, and that should be enough to get you started. Sig?”

“The stock count is on my desk. You can grab it before you go in. Come out front for a break after fifteen minutes, and I’ll see where you are then.”

“Yes, sir.” I nod and head to the office.

But my mind is still stuck on the Saints of Ishval. I mean, why would the cops think a the leader of a biker gang run out of the Southeast corner of the city would be harassing shop owners in a South-central neighborhood? Unless they’re moving on Devil’s Nest territory. I wonder how my new friend(?) in the Xingese District would feel about that. I mean, the Central underground has its variety of players, but usually they keep to their designated sections of town. The last time a border war—so to speak—broke out was when an Ishvalan child was killed by a cop from Central and all hell broke loose. The Ishvalan community has never really recovered, and the crime rate has only gone up.

“Ed!” Sig’s deep voice makes me jump. “You’d better be working in there! We don’t pay you to sit in a fridge and stare at meat!”

“Right. Yes, sir!” I yell back before reaching for the first shelf of beef and checking it against the list in my hand.

I shouldn’t be worrying about the Saints of Ishval right now. As much as the workings of the Central City underworld concern me, I wish they didn’t, and one day, I hope they don’t. If I want that to happen, I need to focus on my job. Checking the expiration dates on meat may not pay much, but it’s honest money, which is what I need if I’m going to afford groceries later.

Before I meet Winry at City Park.

Shit. I still have to go get her part from Donovan. I’ll have to do that after work but before groceries. I don’t want to be too close to the Lane when the sun sets or Greed will try to pull me into racing.

Swearing under my breath, I reach for another lump of meat and try to ignore the cold setting into the skin surrounding my automail anchors. Fuck, it’s going to be a long half hour.

**_Winry_ **

I glance at my phone for the time and shift my weight, before shoving the device in my pocket. A chilly breeze makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end, and I rub my arms, looking around again for Edward. He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago, but so far, I haven’t seen him, and he hasn’t texted to say he was late or to reschedule or anything.

I walk around the waterless fountain and start to sit down on a bench when a car alarm goes off a few blocks away. My head whips toward the sound, and my heart freezes in my chest. The shock lasts about a second before I take a deep breath and scold myself for being so jumpy.

I’m paranoid, and I know it. The likelihood of anything happening in this park is really slim, but I can’t stop my mind from spinning wild scenarios now that I’m here. Alone. In the dark. Waiting for a boy I barely know to trade me a sort of illicit auto part in a sketchy exchange. With Paninya’s warning ringing in my ears, it’s impossible for me not to be skittish.

“Oh good. I found you.”

A short scream slips out of my mouth as I leap from my seat on the bench and whirl around.

“Hey, hey, it’s just me!” Ed hisses, holding his leather clad hands out. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you heard me walk up.”

“Holy crap,” I whisper, gasping as I shut my eyes with relief.

“I’m so sorry,” he goes on. “Fuck, I’m sorry for surprising you and for being late, actually.”

“I wasn’t sure you were coming,” I announce a little more coldly than I mean to as I straighten.

“I had to go by and get the part right before I came here. I was waiting on Donovan to finish his final check to make sure it was in perfect condition.”

“You have it?” I perk up at once. “Can I see it?”

He reaches up with one hand and rubs the back of his neck, wincing.

“What?” I frown.

“I’m not really supposed to give it to you until I have the money.”

“Well, I’m not sure I want to give you the money until I’ve looked at the part,” I counter, crossing my arms. “Why should I be the one who has to just believe you and Donovan didn’t rip me off?”

“Yeah…” He glances to the side. “ I guess that’s fair. Here.”

He nods to the bench, and I sit back down as he skirts the edge and takes the spot beside me. Taking the envelope of cash out of my coat, I set it in the space between us. He looks at it for a second, and I hold my breath, waiting for him to count it. I’m surprised when he doesn’t. Instead he pulls the part out of his jacket and holds it out to me.

“I watched him look over it with a high beam light and a magnifying glass,” he says quietly. “If you find something wrong with it, you can keep my thirty thousand cens.”

I raise an eyebrow and proceed to scan the part for any damage. When I can’t find any, I take a second envelope out of my coat and hold it out to Ed.

“What the fuck?” he mutters. “If this is the cash, what’s in that one? Were you bluffing?”

“No.” I shake my head. “This one is yours. The thirty thousand you just mentioned that I owe you.”

“What?” he blinks. “Really?”

“I told you I could pay you back,” I remind him. “What? You didn’t think I was serious.”

“Well, no, I mean, yes,” he sputters. “I just thought it would take you longer or–”

“I’m good with my money,” I explain over the end of his flailing sentence. “And I’m better with automail. I just don’t usually keep too much on hand. I only had what I had the other night because my friend suggested that much, but, obviously, she underestimated the price.”

“Yeah,” he mutters. “If I hadn’t been there to cover for you, things could’ve gone pretty bad.”

“Thanks again for that,” I whisper. “Anyway…” I stand and adjust the scarf at my neck. “It’s late, and if we’re done, I should probably be getting home.”

I glance over my shoulder toward the street, and hold back a sigh. I don’t know why I’m disappointed. This was only ever a business deal anyway.

“Wait.”

My head snaps back around, and I freeze as he stands and reaches for my hand.

“Don’t…don’t go yet.”

I look from our joined hands up to his face, my eyes wide with surprise.

“Why not?” I venture carefully. “There’s no reason I should stay…”

“What? Oh, fuck. I mean, yeah, you should probably leave…”

I notice his cheeks look pink in the dim light of the lamp posts, but I don’t say anything, even though he’s cute when he’s making a fool of himself.

“Do you…want me to stay?”

“What?” He flinches and looks up at me, dropping my hand. “I…uh, yeah, but–”

Before he can answer a loud roar of some kind of engine shatters the night. I look around, but can’t see anything even though the noise is getting closer.

“What is that?” I can’t keep the panic out of my voice, especially not after I see the look on Ed’s face.

“Motorcycle,” he mutters. “You need to go.”

“What? You just said–”

“Forget what I said,” he bites out as he grabs my hand and starts pulling me toward the entrance to the park. “Go home. Now. Don’t stop and don’t turn back.”

“I don’t understand,” I murmur. “Who is it? What do they want?”

“Nothing good.” He grimaces, and I feel cold slip into the folds of my coat.

“Okay.” I nod. “I’ll, um, text you when I get home.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

I tuck the rare auto part into my coat pocket and start down the block. I make it across the street and halfway up the next block when the roar of the engine overwhelms me. I turn toward it, and suddenly it’s coming right at me. Terror blasts through my veins and I duck my head, covering my ears as if that will somehow help.

It stops in front me me, the headlight blinding as the engines all cuts off. I blink as the headlight goes dark, leaving me shrouded in the light of the streetlamp and staring at a large dark blur dismounting the bike. I squint and make out a patch on the front of a leather cut.

The Saints of Ishval.

“Miss,” a rough voice comes from the dark figure and I take a step back.

“Who are you?”

A tall, muscular man steps out of the shadows, his face twisted with a frown and marred by an X shaped scar.

“I’ll ask the questions,” he rumbles. “What are you doing out so late all by yourself?”

“I…I…”

The auto part in my pocket suddenly feels heavier than before. Should I tell him the truth? Would it matter to him? Ed didn’t say why I should avoid him.

“I was taking a walk,” I stammer. “In the park.”

“This late? In winter?” His frown deepens, if that’s possible. “Alone?”

“Y-yes. I…” I lick my lips and feel my hands start trembling, and not from the cold.

“You what?”

He takes a step closer, and I take two backward, my back hitting the brick wall of a storefront.

“I, um… I’m–”

“She’s with me.”

**_Edward_ **

The mountain sized man turns to look at me, and I curse myself for being this stupid. But I couldn’t just walk off and hope she made it home, so…I was following her. I would say it’s a good thing I was since she’s been cornered by the leader of City’s most notorious biker gang, but I actually don’t know if I can get her out of this.

“And you are?”

“I’m Edward Elric,” I announce, as I move quickly toward Winry. “And that girl you’re scaring the fuck out of is my girlfriend.”

I see her eyes widen at the word, and I jerk my head at her, trying to get her to play along.

“Elric…” The giant turns to face me completely. “Don’t I know that name?”

“I…”

“Oh, yes, one of Greed’s racers,” he finishes before I can say anything. “That means you’re with the Devil’s Nest.”

I open my mouth to deny it when suddenly my arm is being twisted behind my back, and I’m pinned to the ground, my cheek scraping the concrete. Something in my automail snaps, and I squeeze my eyes shut as pain radiates up into my shoulder.

“Let him go!” Winry squeals. “We weren’t doing anything!”

I peek over my shoulder to see Scar glance at her and squint. “Then why were you here? If you’re his girlfriend like he says…”

“I—” I hiss as his knee digs into my back. “I snuck her out!” I lie, saying whatever words pop into my head. “She has a curfew, and I’m not really the type her dad wants to see her out with, so I brought her to the park so we could be alone.”

Winry, as brilliant as I thought, catches on fast.

“I have to get home,” she jumps in at once. “If my dad finds out I’m missing, he’ll call every cop in the city.”

“So, you were doing something then.” Scar snarls.

“Just making out!” I supply instantly, trying not to notice the instant blush that stains her cheeks. “But her dad checks on her at midnight, so–”

“Please, I can’t be gone when he–”

“Okay, fine,” Scar sighs, releasing me. “You can go.”

The knee in my spine moves off, and I scramble to my feet, watching Winry out of the corner of my eye as I stare at Scar.

“Thank you,” Winry murmurs as she inches toward me.

I take a step closer to her when Scar grabs my shoulder and leans down.

“But if I ever catch you or any of the Devil’s Nesters out again at night, all bets are off, Elric.”

“You won’t,” I guarantee him, even though I have no idea if that’s true.

Winry comes up beside me and attaches herself to my arm just as he backs away. I try not to wince at the sharp pain that shoots through my elbow, determined to stay still until he’s gone. We stand there, silently, as he starts his engine and rolls out.

“Thank you,” Winry exhales as soon as we’re alone again. “I…I–”

“Don’t mention it.”

I reach up to touch my hair and groan when my arm locks up.

“Your automail!” she gasps. “It’s damaged. You’re in pain.”

“No shit,” I hiss. “That guy was ridiculously strong.” And way too damn forceful.

“I can fix it,” she says as if I never spoke. “Come home with me. I have what I need there.”

“I’m sorry, what?” I blink.

“Your arm needs a repair,” she says urgently. “My granny should be asleep, so as long as we’re quiet, I can sneak you in and fix you up, and then sneak you back out without her knowing.”

Fuck, she just invited to sneak me into her bedroom—well, wherever she does her automail stuff. Tonight is out of control.

“I…”

“I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” she cuts in. “You got hurt helping me, so it’s the least I can do.”

“Fine.” I give in, not that it was too much of a struggle. “Lead the way.”

**_Winry_ **

“This is where you live?”

I glance at him in the light from the lamp by the door and bite my lip.

“My family is sort of a big deal in automail,” I murmur. “My granny was one of the first engineers.”

Usually, I don’t think our house is anything grand. It’s a relatively modest two story with a small yard for my dog…but I guess it is in one of the nicer neighborhoods downtown.

“Right.” He nods slowly.

“Anyway, follow me, and be quiet.”

I lead him around the side of the house to the trellis. I could probably go in the front door, but there’s always the chance Granny is up late, and I don’t want to have to take him past her bedroom just in case.

“Can you climb with that wrist?”

“Yeah.”

I watch him curl his fingers into a fist and grimace, but he doesn’t change his answer.

“My bedroom is the window on the right.”

“Your bedroom. Cool. Okay,” he mumbles a string of words, and I suddenly realize what this scenario sort of resembles, a flame of heat instantly racing up the side of my neck.

“It’s locked,” I whisper, “so wait here until I get up there to open it.”

He nods, and I go around through the front door. In the case Granny _is_ up, I want her to think I’m just coming home like a good girl and not about to sneak a boy into my room.

A flash of guilt squeezes my heart, and I do my best to ignore it.

I crack the window as soon as I get to it and wave for Ed to come up. I see him start to climb, watching for a few seconds to make sure he really can manage with his injured automail, before I go to my workbench and store the new part I have in my coat.

“I never thought I’d be the guy sneaking in a girl’s bedroom,” he mutters as his feet hit the floor with a loud thud.

“Shh!” I hiss at him, glancing wildly over my shoulder. “If my Granny finds you in here this late, I literally have no idea how she’ll react.”

But I imagine it won’t be good.

“Sorry.”

“Now,” I whisper, slipping off my coat and scarf, “give me your arm.”

He holds it out as I grab my headlamp and slide it on. After a quick glance, I grab some pliers and try to undo the fresh dent, but it won’t budge.

“I need to replace this plate,” I tell him without looking up. “I actually have one that should fit. Give me two seconds.”

Turning my back on him, I shift some other projects around and grab the part I need along with a screwdriver. It takes a minute to detach the damaged plate, but once it’s off I take a look at the inside just to make sure everything looks good.

“How often do you get your automail checked?” I ask softly, shining a penlight on some smaller gears.

“Uh…only when I absolutely have to, honestly.”

“I figured you’d say that.” I shake my head. “You have some rust, but it isn’t terrible. Let me oil it really quick.”

“You’re a real gearhead, aren’t you?” he asks my back as I’m digging through my oils and serums.

“What?”

“You’re so…zoned in on my automail. It’s like how I am when I’m driving.”

“Oh.” I blink. “I hadn’t really thought about it, but I guess so.”

I quickly administer the oil and grab the new plate, which I have to make a few adjustments to for the right fit.

“So…what did you mean about your driving?” I ask him as I punch a fresh hole in the metal, muffling it as much as I can.

“You probably heard Scar say I’m one of Greed’s racers,” he says softly, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “It’s not really what I want to do, but…driving is all I’m really good at. Well, that and selling meat.”

“I assume a serious driver has a car?”

“Yeah, my baby. She was having engine trouble, so a friend of mine let me put her up in his garage. She’s on blocks because she also needs fresh tires. This 30k should help me fund the last few parts I need to fix her and get her going again.”

“What kind of car is she?”

“How did you know she’s a she?” He stares at me, and I shrug.

“You’re a guy? I don’t know. It just seemed logical. Did you name her?”

“Nina,” he says softly. “And she’s a red Dodge Challenger.”

“Hold still.” He winces as I set the plate and screw it into place. “How’s it feel?”

I watch him move his arm this way and that, throw some fake punches, and swing it over his head before he looks at me.

“Fucking amazing,” he mutters with undeniable awe. “I think this is the best it’s ever been.”

“If you want me to look at your leg sometime, say the word.”

He gives me a sideways glance, and I feel my face flush.

“I just meant–”

“I know.”

“Anyway, Nina,” I change the subject back to something safe. “I’d like to see her.”

“After I get her fixed up, I can pick you up and show her off. I’d love that.”

“Sounds good to me.” I agree instantly, trying to ignore Paninya’s voice in my head screaming this is a bad idea.

“I’ll text you.”

I start to say something about how he never texted before, but stop myself. It doesn’t matter now anyway, if it ever did.

“Cool.” I nod instead. “Now it’s time to sneak you out of here before my Granny hears us."

“Right.” He walks back over to the window and slides it up before looking over at me. “Have a goodnight, princess.”

“Shut up and go home, Ed,” I laugh at him.

He slides his leg out, and I watch as he disappears. After a few seconds, though, I rush over to look down at him.

“What?” he mouths up at me, and I shake my head.

“Nothing. Just…have a goodnight, too, Edward.”

He grins and drops the rest of the way to the ground, going immediately into a somersault, and then dashing off into the night.

**_Edward_ **

“Fuck. Okay. It’s fine. You’re fine, and you can do this,” I mutter to myself as I slow to a measly five miles an hour and turn onto the street in front of Winry’s house.

Something like a thousand tiny tiny fingertips run down my spine, and my stomach lurches.

“Shit. Maybe I can’t do this.”

I called her a week ago— _called, not texted_ —when I finally had everything done to get Nina back on the road. I still want to customize her paint job, but Cherry Red looks good on her for the moment. Now, I’m at Winry’s house, waiting to pick her up for what I’m like 90% sure is a date, and I’m not totally sure how that happened.

My phone pings, and I grab it from the cupholder.

**Automail Princess: is that you?**

I text her back a quick “yeah,” and watch as the front door to the house swings open and she comes running out.

In a dress.

Fuck, I was right. Her legs are amazing.

I groan and throw my head back, banging it against the seat, stopping quickly when she opens the passenger door.

“So where are you and Nina taking me?” She bounces a little in her seat, and I bite my lip to hide my smile.

She’s too adorable.

_Which is why this won’t work out._

I shake off the stupid voice in my head and shift gears as she buckles her seatbelt.

“Well, I figured I could drive around the city, and then through the backroads outside of town if you wanted. I can get up to some decent speeds on those since they’re not as heavily policed.”

“Sounds good. Did you have any sort of destination in mind?”

I cough, and reach up to beat my chest with my fist.

“Um…I don’t know, why?”

“Well…” she starts and trails off immediately.

“What?”

“There’s this place,” she says before taking a breath. “I’ve never been there, but I have this friend, and she said… Nevermind, I shouldn’t mention it. It’s dumb, and probably too out of the way–”

“Give me a hint,” I interrupt, secretly loving how flustered she is.

“It’s at the top of this hill. It’s supposed to be the highest point in Amestris, or at least Central City, and–”

I slam on the brakes without meaning to and she squeals before her seatbelt catches her, cutting her off.

“Shit. Fuck. Sorry,” I ramble, speeding up immediately, and forcing my eyes to focus on the road and the windshield and not looking at her.

“You know the place then?” she asks quietly.

“Uh…yeah,” I admit, a muscle in my jaw twitching.

She’s talking about Sniper’s Lookout. It’s an abandoned parking lot outside an old condemned bell tower. I think it used to be part of a church, but the rumor is the best sniper in Central used to use the tower for target practice by shooting birds out of the sky.

But more importantly, Sniper’s Lookout is most notorious for being the premier place for teenagers to go parking.

“Do you, uh, wanna go there?” I glance at her before quickly shifting my eyes back to the road.

“I think so,” she answers after a beat, her voice suddenly softer.

I’m afraid to ask if she means what I think she means, but I’m also afraid not to. I debate with myself in silence as I turn onto the road that leads out of town, directly into the setting sun.

“Ed, are you okay?”

Shit. I’ve been quiet too long.

“Yeah.” I nod. “Just thinking.”

“I freaked you out, didn’t I?” she blurts at once. “If you don’t want to drive all the way up there, we don’t have to. I just thought–”

“No, you didn’t,” I lie to calm her down. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Oh…okay.”

“Winry,” I ask suddenly, looking over at her. “Do you know what people—couples, I mean—do at Sniper’s Lookout?”

She blinks, and I watch her cheeks turn a perfect shade of pink.

“Well, I have an idea,” she mumbles. “But, I really just wanted a place we could talk.”

Oh.

“Well, I guess that makes sense.” I nod.

I’m an idiot. Of course she doesn’t want to fool around. We’ve only seen each other twice before now, and never as anything romantic…

She reaches forward and turns on the radio, and we drive in comfortable silence until, the sun completely sets, and I make the turn onto the lane that zigzags back and forth to the top of the tallest hill in the city.

“So…” I turn to her as I cut the engine, the sudden silence deafening. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I really like you,” says suddenly. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that, but… Well, my friend, Paninya, she’s the one I mentioned before, I’m replacing her knee joints.”

I blink at her and nod slowly.

“…okay?”

“Her adoptive dad is her automail mechanic, and she still hasn’t told him I’m doing the replacement, which is stressing me out. Oh, and that’s also why I needed the part you hooked me up with.”

“Go on.”

“The real problem though, is… Well, I’m weaponizing her legs.”

“I’m sorry, what?” I blink at her.

“Before the law went through about combat automail, she had these self-defense items, and if you knew her, you’d totally understand why she needs them, but her dad complied with the new rules and removed them because she isn’t twenty-one yet.”

“And you’re going to reinstall them?”

“Yes, and…I can’t tell anyone because, well, it’s illegal.”

“But you’re telling me,” I point out quietly.

“I really needed to tell someone, and I…thought you’d understand, and I’m really hoping you’re trustworthy.”

“I do, and…I am,” I assure her. “It’s a pretty big deal though, isn’t it? Doing that kind of automail work?”

“It’s not simple, for sure,” she admits, leaning forward to slide off her jacket. “But I can manage.”

My eyes get caught on the flashes of skin on her bare shoulders. Middle of winter and she’s wearing a pink top with off-the-shoulder sleeves. I’m not sure why, but that seems to be 100% on brand for her.

“I’m trying to get away from racing,” I confess, though I’m not sure why. Something about her makes me want to bare my soul. “I want to get away from Sinners’ Lane entirely, actually. My brother is about to finish high school, and I really want him to go off to college. One of us should.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I had to take care of him.” I sigh. “Our dad bailed when we were little, and our mom died a few years later… It’s been just us for most of our lives.”

“That’s… I’m sorry.”

“It is what it is.” I shrug.

“How did you lose your arm and leg, if I can ask that?”

“Car accident of course.”

“Racing?”

“Actually, no.” I grin. “I ran out in front of a car to save Al and got hit. It wasn’t long after out mom died. By then, we were in foster care, but our foster parents were actually pretty cool. I… They gave me a job at their butcher shop when I aged out, and when I got my own place I took Al with me, but they’re basically family.”

“That’s good.”

I mean, I _guess_ could’ve left Al with them while I went to school, but that didn’t feel right.

“I guess we’re both figuring shit out.” I run my fingers through my bangs.

“Maybe we could…figure it out together?”

I look over at her and raise an eyebrow.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” she murmurs, “but I know I like being with you…”

“I like being with you, too,” I whisper.

Her body angles toward mine, and I stop breathing. She blinks slowly, and I get hung up on how her lashes make her eyes look bluer than normal, which is saying something. A guy could drown in those dark pools…

“Kiss me, Ed.”

I’m not sure if she really said it, or if I imagined it, but the next thing I know, I’m moving my head toward her, and she’s watching my lips as I lower them to hers.

She tastes like a daydream.

My automail fingers slide into the hair by her neck, and my other hand grips the steering wheel as she turns slightly, giving me an opening to deepen the kiss. She gasps against my mouth, and I grin.

Art by Val

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/ayanthos?s=20) || [Tumblr](https://ayanthos.tumblr.com/)

She pulls back, and I watch as she takes a short breath and reaches up to touch her lips.

“You okay, princess?”

She nods, but her eyes are shining. Fuck. Is she gonna cry?

“I thought you wanted me to,” I whisper quickly. “I–”

Before I can finish, her finger comes up to my lips, shutting me up.

“It was perfect,” she murmurs. “I… No one has ever kissed me before.”

“What?” I stare at her. “Not ever? Really?”

“Yeah.”

She leans back in and kisses my cheek before pulling away and letting out a short sigh.

“I think I should be getting home soon,” she whispers.

“Right.”

My cheek is burning from where her lips touched it, but I ignore that and focus on starting my car and driving her back to the city. When I pull up in front of her house, I realize I don’t want her to go.

“Can I call you again?”

“I’d like that,” she nods. “And, actually, I sort of need another one of those parts you got me before. I’m doing both of Pan’s knees, so…”

“I can talk to Donovan.”

“Great.” She beams as she reaches for her door handle.

“Wait.” I reach out and grab her hand, pulling her back to me.

“What?”

“Don’t…kiss anyone else, okay?”

Her eyes widen and then soften as she bites her lip.

“I won’t if you won’t.”

“Deal.”

She slides out, and I watch as she walks up the steps before turning to wave at me.

“Nina,” I announce as I pull away. “I think you just got me a girlfriend.”

**_Winry_ **

“Was that the hot guy?”

Paninya is waiting inside as soon as I step in the door.

“His name is still Edward,” I remind her.

“So, it is him?”

“It is who?” Granny steps out of the kitchen.

“My…boyfriend,” I say definitively.

“What!” Pan screeches. “Winry, you can’t be–”

“Is his surname Elric?” Granny interrupts her, and I freeze.

“Um, yeah, actually.”

“I knew his parents.” She nods. “Good people.”

I almost ask about his MIA dad, but don’t get the chance since Paninya grabs my arm and drags me up the stairs.

“Winry, I told you not to go after a boy from the Lane.”

“I didn’t, it just happened,” I tell her honestly. “And…don’t try to talk me out of it.”

She opens her mouth like she’s going to say something and then closes it again instead.

This happens three times.

“Okay, fine,” she finally says in a huff. “But I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t say one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t fall for him. You can date him all you want. If you want to make out with him in an alley or sneak him into your bedroom, go for it. Fuck him in his car or on the second-hand couch in his shitty apartment. I don’t care, but don’t fall in love with him.”

“Pan–”

“If you fall in love with him, and he breaks your heart…”

Her face says more than any number of words ever could.

“Okay,” I whisper, hoping to easer her mind.

“Promise me.”

“I…” She leans toward me, and I shut my eyes. “I promise.”

“I’m spending the night by the way,” she announces.

“You’re always welcome,” I remind her softly.

She disappears into the bathroom, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Or regret.

I promised her I wouldn’t fall for Edward, but…

I think it’s too late for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys really enjoyed this! I know there's a lot of potential for more, too. Also, if you love the art like I do, please check out Val's Twitter and Tumblr accounts (links with the art above) and give her some love!!


End file.
